5 Themes of geography What are the five

5 Themes of geography

What are the five themes? Tools geographer’s use to study features on earth. – Location – Place – Movement – Region – Human Environment Interaction

Location Describes where places are at on earth. Types of Location: – ABSOLUTE: exact location on earth (fixed) • Doesn’t change – – Latitude/Longitude Hemispheres Grid System Address – RELATIVE: compared to other places (variable) • Changes dependent upon where you’re comparing it to. – Miles – Distance – Direction

Absolute Location Examples: – Rome is located at 41 N, 12 E – Argentina is located in the southern hemisphere – Ecuador is located in Tropic of Cancer. – LNE is located in Lincoln, NE.

Relative Location Examples: – Rome is located near the Mediterranean Sea. – Argentina is near Brazil. – Ecuador is south of Mexico. – Lincoln is 50 miles from Omaha.

Place A place is defined by it’s unique characteristics. – Physical characteristics – Cultural characteristics

Physical Characteristics Specific to THAT place, not generic. – The way a place looks. Created by nature. – – Mountains Rivers, Lakes, Seas Climate Vegetation Examples: – – Andes Mountains are in South America. Amazon River flows through Brazil. Pampas are located in Argentina. The isthmus of Panama connects Central & South America.

Cultural Characteristics Specific to THAT place, not generic. – Peoples activities change the way a place looks or is represented. Man-made or invented. – – Language Unique buildings Religious Practices Celebrations/traditions/holidays Examples: – – Portuguese is the official language of Brazil. Many Mexicans are Catholic. Mayan ruins are located in Mexico. Cinco de Mayo is a national holiday in Mexico.

Movement Places do not exist in isolation. – Interconnectedness of the world changes the way places“look”. • Today: “globalization” – People, goods & ideas move from place to place. Examples – – Immigration from Latin America to US. War in Iraq (troops, supplies, ideas, people) UNL (people, ideas) Myspace, Facebook (ideas)

Region The world is divided into different regions based upon similarities & differences. – – – Climate Location Beliefs Languages Ethnicity/Race Types: – Formal – Functional – Perceptual

Formal Region Most common/familiar. Determined by the distribution of a uniform characteristic (physical or cultural) – Location – Climate – Religion Examples – Central America (Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama) – Latin America (spanish-speaking nations) – Tropics (countries located near equator)

Perceptual Region Groups of areas that provoke a certain stereotype or feeling. Examples: – The Bronx – The “ghetto” – China town

HEI The environment & people are interconnected. Consequences to those actions depend upon how people choose to interact with the world and use their resources. – Positive/Negative – Intentional/Accidental – Favorable/Destructive

HEI Current Enviromental Issues: – Climate Change (global warming) – Energy Resources – Water Conservation – Deforestation

Assignment “What does each theme look like? ” Use the graphic organizer to visually represent each of the fives themes of geography. – You may ONLY use words to label each circle. – Your picture should clearly describe theme. – Be creative, and thoughtful.